Scottish Executive

Conservation of Seals Act 1970

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether licences granted under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 authorising persons to kill seals are (a) limited in respect of duration and (b) subject to a condition limiting the number of seals that may be killed.

Lewis Macdonald: All licences granted are time-limited and set a limit on the number of seals which can be killed.

Enterprise

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent visits have been undertaken to shipyards by ministers and what matters were discussed on each visit.

Mr Jim Wallace: During September and October this year I visited BAE Systems Naval Ships on the Clyde and Babcock BES in Rosyth. On both occasions I met with Local Management Teams to familiarise myself with the shipyard facilities and be appraised of the local business issues currently facing these companies.

Further Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to students in part-time education at further education colleges since 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information is not held in the form requested.

  Colleges are funded based on a target of weighted student units of measurement (WSUMs). The following table shows the WSUMs completed at colleges from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 (the latest year available).

  The core recurrent funding which the Scottish Further Education Funding Council agrees to provide to each college is not split between full-time and part-time. It is up to colleges themselves to decide on the detailed use of funds. The table shows the WSUMs generated by full-time activity and those generated by part-time activity. These proportions have then been applied to the total core recurrent funding received by colleges to give as close an indication as possible of the funding which would have been attributed to full-time and part-time students respectively.

  Colleges can receive funding in addition to core recurrent funding (e.g. for estates maintenance, student bursaries, and specific initiatives). However, it is colleges’ core recurrent funding which is associated directly with taught student activity.

  

Year
*No. of Student Enrolments at Scottish Further Education Colleges
Weighted Student Units of Measurement (WSUMs)
Recurrent Funding


Full-Time
Part-Time
Full-Time
Part-Time
Full-Time (%)
Part-Time (%)
Full-Time
Part-Time


1998-99
67,301
354,255
1,220,972
747,750
62
38
£140,985,562
£86,342,650


1999-2000
68,122
366,313
1,236,277
736,513
63
37
£155,133,765
£92,421,035


2000-01
72,855
414,486
1,238,845
776,803
61
39
£157,633,059
£98,841,941


2001-02
72,809
442,068
1,304,840
813,246
62
38
£161,347,856
£100,560,647


2002-03
73,178
416,444
1,342,550
786,142
63
37
£169,291,610
£99,130,126



  Note: *The above data represent enrolments on individual courses at further education colleges. Students may enroll on more than one course in an academic year.

Further and Higher Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the financial resources of further education colleges and higher education institutions is being diverted to the provision of advice on funding for students and administration of discretionary funds.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils provide recurrent funding based mainly on factors such as student population and activity. It is up to the institutions themselves to decide on how funding is used. Neither funding council specifies how much funding should be spent on advice to students nor do they require institutions to report on this. In relation to the administration of discretionary funds, again the amount of funding allocated by colleges and universities to this area of their business is for each institution to decide.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the population lives within 12 miles of an accident and emergency unit.

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the population will live within 12 miles of an accident and emergency unit if all current NHS board proposals for centralisation of these services are carried out.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not available. Priorities in terms of accident and emergency services are to ensure that ambulance personnel are well trained and arrive quickly at the scene of an incident. It is also important that accident and emergency units are properly staffed, with the right range of skilled personnel.

Health

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many returns were received by the Common Services Agency in respect of the prescription of methadone in 2003-04.

Mr Andy Kerr: Methadone hydrochloride can be used to treat coughs in terminal disease, as an analgesic and as an adjunct in the treatment of opioid dependence.

  The following table shows the number of prescribed items and the gross ingredient cost for all methadone prescribed items dispensed in the community in 2003-04. The cost given is that before the addition of any pharmacy fees and the deduction of any discount and prescription charges.

  These data refer to prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors and do not take into account methadone dispensed by hospitals or hospital-based clinics.

  Methadone Hydrochloride – Prescribed Items 2003-04

  

Year Ending 31-March
Number Prescribed Items


2004
387,965



  Source: Data provided by NHS National Services Scotland.

Justice

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the original timetable and cost were for the completion of the refurbishment of Parliament House, Edinburgh.

Cathy Jamieson: The original projected cost for the redevelopment of Parliament House was £105 million at 1999 prices. The original timetable was for completion in five phases over 14 to 15 years.

Land

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the landholdings owned by (a) it and (b) the Crofters Commission and used for the Livestock Improvement Scheme administered by the Crofters Commission in each of the last 10 years, broken down by name, acreage and owner of each holding and whether it will produce a plan of the landholdings at the start of each year.

Allan Wilson: In 1994 the Secretary of State for Scotland owned three properties which were used for the Livestock Improvement Scheme. One of these, Wester Aberchalder farm (841.37 hectares), was sold in 1994 in three lots. The remaining two properties are (a) Beechwood (currently 86.773 hectares) and (b) Knocknagael and Balrobert (currently 284.683 hectares) which are owned by Scottish ministers. Plans of these properties showing the areas which have been sold and the areas remaining have been lodged in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33746).

  We do not have plans of these properties showing their extent at the start of each year but it will be possible to establish how the holdings changed on an annual basis from the plans that have been lodged in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33746). The Crofters Commission does not own any land.

NHS Staff

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which agencies are used by NHS boards to supply agency nursing staff.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS Employers are responsible for the planning and delivery of a range of services and for ensuring a competent workforce to deliver these services effectively. As such, they may choose to engage with agencies at a local level to meet service needs.

NHS Staff

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Health and Community Care’s statement at the Health Committee on 21 September 2004 ( Official Report , c 1209) that " … workforce planning in the NHS … did not exist at all until fairly recently", when it considers that such workforce planning was first introduced.

Mr Andy Kerr: There has been a lack of historic workforce planning in NHSScotland. Working for Health, the first ever Workforce Development Action Plan for NHSScotland was launched on 1 August 2002 setting out a step change in the way in which NHSScotland plans and develops its workforce. It heralded new regional and national teams to support workforce development and dedicated personnel to take this forward. It set out plans to drive forward better information, planning and employment data and also the production of an annual Scottish Workforce Plan.

  Implementation of the Workforce Development Plan is continuing with new structures, processes and personnel in place and the first ever Scottish Health Workforce Plan 2004 Baseline published in April 2004.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets are set by NHS Lanarkshire for waiting times for patients to secure an orthopaedic appointment.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS Lanarkshire is committed to ensuring that it meets the Executive’s target of a maximum waiting time of 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant, following referral by a General Medical/Dental Practitioner from 31 December 2005.

  The National Waiting Times Unit has agreed local performance improvement targets and plans with individual NHS boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, which set out the progress to be made in 2004-06 towards delivery of this commitment.

  To assist with the achievement of the 26-weeks target, the Centre for Change and Innovation is driving forward the implementation of a £7 million national service redesign initiative for Orthopaedic out-patient services, which was launched in May 2004 and for which NHS Lanarkshire is a pilot site.

  In the coming weeks, I will announce full details of new, reduced waiting times commitments for both out-patient consultations and in-patient and day case treatment.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what target has been set for how long the completion of the treatment of orthopaedic patients should take in Lanarkshire.

Mr Andy Kerr: The national maximum waiting time for orthopaedic surgery is nine months from the date a patient is placed on the in-patient/day case waiting list until the date of hospital admission. This guaranteed waiting time will be reduced to six months from the end of 2005.

  The National Waiting Times Unit has agreed local performance improvement targets and plans with individual NHS boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, which set out the progress to be made in 2004-06 towards delivery of this commitment.

  In the coming weeks, I will announce full details of new, reduced waiting times commitments for both out-patient consultations and in-patient and day case treatment.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for a patient to receive an orthopaedic appointment in the NHS Lanarkshire area at the end of December 2003.

Mr Andy Kerr: Provisional information indicates that in the year ended 31 December 2003, the median waiting time in NHS Lanarkshire for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in the specialty of orthopaedics, following GP referral, was 184 days.

  I refer the member to the answer to S2W-11086 on 25 October 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently waiting for orthopaedic surgery in the NHS Lanarkshire area.

Mr Andy Kerr: On 30 June 2004, 2,347 residents of Lanarkshire NHS Board were waiting for hospital admission for orthopaedic surgery.

Prescriptions

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of publicising exemption and remission arrangements for NHS prescription charges in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: Until April 2004 the Department of Health in London (DH) was responsible for the preparation, printing and distribution across Great Britain of publicity material about help with health charges and about NHS prescription charge exemption and remission arrangements. No costs were met by the Scottish Executive or the Welsh Assembly. The budget for this service has now been divided on a pro rata basis between the Health Departments in Scotland, England and Wales, with £73,000 being transferred to the Scottish Executive. A number of the information booklets revised, printed and issued by DH in the early part of this year are still available for distribution in Scotland. Scottish versions of the booklets will be issued as existing stocks run out.

Prescriptions

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescribed items were not dispensed in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not available. The number of items dispensed is known, but information about NHS prescriptions issued to patients is recorded by prescribers in patients’ notes and the number is not held centrally.

Prescriptions

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of patients unable to afford prescription charges.

Mr Andy Kerr: The NHS Low Income Scheme offers help to people who have difficulty in paying for their prescriptions. In 2003-04, 52,668 claimants received full help under the scheme, including free NHS prescriptions. Twenty-seven thousand and fourteen claimants did not qualify for free prescriptions but received partial help with dental and other charges.

Prescriptions

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the administrative costs were of providing notification of revised prescription charges to relevant health organisations in each year since 2001.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not available. Notification of changes to prescription charges and other health costs is one element within the overall process of amending the relevant NHS regulations. The administrative cost of preparing circulars for distribution cannot be separately quantified.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations with stakeholders are planned in relation to the strategic review of Scottish Natural Heritage that was announced on 26 August 2004.

Lewis Macdonald: Questionnaires will be issued shortly to stakeholders and other individuals or bodies who are interested in contributing their views will be able to access the questionnaire and information about the review via the Scottish Executive Website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Countryside/SNH/intro.

  In addition, the review team plan to hold a series of meetings with key stakeholders.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is within the remit of the strategic review of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) that was announced on 26 August 2004 to recommend transfer of functions to or from SNH.

Lewis Macdonald: Yes.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the board, staff and trade union representatives of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will play in relation to the strategic review of SNH that was announced on 26 August 2004.

Lewis Macdonald: The board, staff and trade union representatives of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will play a central role in the strategic review. One of the review team members is an SNH member of staff and the management of SNH has two representatives on the review steering group. The review team, led by David Bills, has already met with the SNH Board and plans to hold meetings with SNH trade union representatives.

Tourism

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10736 by Mr Frank McAveety on 29 September 2004, what information it has on what percentage of the total number of visitors from these countries to the United Kingdom these numbers of visitors to Scotland represented in 2002.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: In 2002, the number of visitors who came to the United Kingdom from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland was estimated from survey data to be around 150,000, 132,200 and 188,500 respectively. Of these visitors, 3% from both the Czech Republic and Hungary and 8% from Poland were estimated to come to Scotland.

Tourism

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10735 by Mr Frank McAveety on 29 September 2004, what information it has on what percentage of visitors to the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland the 48,000 visitors to Scotland in 2003 represented.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: In 2003, the number of visitors who came to the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland was estimated from the available survey data to be around 2,488,000, of which 2% were estimated to come to Scotland.

  These figures are taken from the UK-wide International Passenger Survey (IPS), which samples overseas visitors to Scotland entering the country through Edinburgh and Glasgow airports only (although from 2005 onwards, visitors who enter Scotland through Prestwick will also be surveyed under the IPS). This data is then grossed up to approximate for visitors entering through other airports. No Scottish ferry ports are included in IPS surveying; again, survey data from particular ports of entry in England and Wales from the Republic of Ireland is grossed up to an all-UK figure.

Tourism

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of accommodation bookings received by VisitScotland have been processed entirely on-line and without the intervention of a call centre worker.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: During the current year to date, the number of accommodation bookings that have been processed entirely on-line through the visitscotland.com website represents 6% of the total bookings generated by the company.